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  1. #1
    Metmachmad is offline Turning useful pieces of steel into scrap metal.
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    Default Travelling steady for a B model Qualos

    When I bought my lathe mid last year, it didn't come with its travelling steady, but it did come with its fixed steady.
    I'm now seeking to procur a steady for it and I'm have a few questions to put to the forum-

    Does anyone have a spare travelling steady to suit my lathe? - not likely I would think.

    Can anyone with such a steady post an image of a Qualos travelling steady here?

    Did the standard Qualos travelling steady have 2 or 3 steadying points?
    On this point am I right in thinking that a 3 point steady would be the best, i.e. provide the most support, and rigidity?

    If I have no luck in finding a Qualos steady, I will hunt around and maybe adapt another makers steady to my lathe. Incidently, what happens to all the "lost" steadys that seem to get separated for their lathes? There must be a virtual graveyard full of them somewhere.

  2. #2
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    Default

    Only ever seen travelling steadies with two points... They are not too complicated to make I would not imagine..

  3. #3
    Metmachmad is offline Turning useful pieces of steel into scrap metal.
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  4. #4
    Dave J Guest

    Default

    Thanks for posting that link to the 3 finger traveling steady as I have never seen one.

    For simplicity I would just make a 2 finger traveling steady up out of some thick mild steel pieces (so it is rigid) machined or welded together, as long as the fingers are fairly strait it will work, any small misalignment would be taken care of by the brass tips.

    I am not sure if you have seen a steady but on the Chinese lathes they have a simple setup with a slot down one side of the finger with a grub screw and a lock nut through the body to stop rotation. The lower part of the knurled adjustment screw is made with a groove around it so when it is in the hole it is retained by a grub screw through the body as well, this way the hole can be drilled right through at the same diameter as the finger. The finger it self has a hole drilled right through and is threaded one end and the brass tips are made to be a press fit into the hole to hold them in.
    If you need close up pictures just let me know and I will take some.

    Here are the pictures from the above link for future reference for members when that link goes dead, one thing I hate about old threads.






    As for where do steadies go, here is one story
    There was a listing on ebay a few years ago that had a D1-4, 4 jaw lathe chuck, a D1-4 face plate, fixed steady, traveling steady and a set of outside lathe jaws off a 3 jaw and where all off a AL 335 lathe. I contacted the seller as he was close by and we agreed on $130 so I went to pick them up. When I got their I could see that the steadies, face plate and chuck jaws had never been used and I asked him how he came to have them as they usually stay with the lathe because they are matched.
    He and his wife told me that he had bought the lathe new from H&F's never really used it, so he sold the lathe to a bloke and but he didn't want these things as he already had them? So now that lathe is missing it's steadies.
    I am not sure how true the story was because I can't see anyone buying a lathe and leaving the accessories behind (unless he wanted extra) also if he had bought the lathe new he would have had more of an idea of what this stuff was worth, but I wasn't knocking them back.
    I plan on making roller bearing fingers for the 2 steadies so I will have both fixed and roller types, so they are not for sale not that I think they would fit yours anyway.

    My grand father picked up a larger fixed steady for me 10 or more years ago at a garage sale with no machines in sight, so thats another lathe somewhere without a steady.
    I think they get taken off the new and used lathes because they don't get much use (or sometimes none at all) and put aside and forgotten about. Then when it comes time to sell they can't be found or in deceased estates, auctions etc they don't know what goes with what so they get split up. I did read on another forum about a pallet load of steadies getting auctioned because they just grouped everything that looked the same.
    My old Hercus I had came without any steadies and I never found any while I owned it, but I wasn't on the internet then.

    Dave

  5. #5
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    Default

    Dave The pictures arent working this end.

    As to where all the steadys go, thats easy, they are hanging out with all the pens I've lost over the years

    Stuart

  6. #6
    Dave J Guest

    Default

    Are they working now I replaced them? They where working on my end but I did leave the reply and came back to it latter so that may have had something to do with it.

    They could be with all the tek screw socket drivers of mine as well, I have even painted some orange and still lost them, LOL, and good one's aren't cheap either.

    Dave

  7. #7
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    Default

    Working fine now Dave.

  8. #8
    Metmachmad is offline Turning useful pieces of steel into scrap metal.
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    Default

    Thanks to all for your help. I have attached an image of a Qualos B model travelling, fixed steady. This might give some members here an idea of what I'm seeking.
    Last edited by Metmachmad; 19th Jan 2011 at 03:11 PM. Reason: Clarity of image subject

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    ACT
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    Default

    Hi Metmachmad,

    Do you have any documentation for your Qualos lathe.
    I also own one and would like to share any info with other owners, I have only just temporarily set mine up but have grand plans for a refurb and placing it in my new clean workshop.
    I believe the jpg in the last post shows both the 3 fingered fixed steady and the 2 fingered traveling steady.

  10. #10
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    Default 2 or 3 supports

    i dont think that the 3 fingers would be much of an advantage. the bottem one looks hard to adjust. i think when you are useing the traveling steady it would be for light cuts. some times you nead to adjust the steady on the move and i dont see how you could adjust the bottem one

    Quote Originally Posted by Metmachmad View Post
    When I bought my lathe mid last year, it didn't come with its travelling steady, but it did come with its fixed steady.
    I'm now seeking to procur a steady for it and I'm have a few questions to put to the forum-

    Does anyone have a spare travelling steady to suit my lathe? - not likely I would think.

    Can anyone with such a steady post an image of a Qualos travelling steady here?

    Did the standard Qualos travelling steady have 2 or 3 steadying points?
    On this point am I right in thinking that a 3 point steady would be the best, i.e. provide the most support, and rigidity?

    If I have no luck in finding a Qualos steady, I will hunt around and maybe adapt another makers steady to my lathe. Incidently, what happens to all the "lost" steadys that seem to get separated for their lathes? There must be a virtual graveyard full of them somewhere.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    ACT
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    3

    Default

    The three finger steady is the fixed steady and the two finger is bolted to the carrriage and follows the cutting tool.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    Default not this one

    from the photos it looks like this travalling steady has 3 fingers.
    Quote Originally Posted by ooah View Post
    The three finger steady is the fixed steady and the two finger is bolted to the carrriage and follows the cutting tool.

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    Default

    All fixed steadies have three steadying points that are arranged at 120 degree intervals. I would never be without mine and I have two of them for my lathe. One is the standard fixed steady that came with the lathe and the other is one that I made and is a heavier duty steady.
    A travelling steady has two steady points, one is vertical located above the axis of the lathe and the other is 90 degrees behind as the posted photos show. The other three point steady is not a fixed steady but a heavy duty traveling steady. The vertical steady point in the lower section is a wonderful part of this steady. It is used to dampen out any bouncing of the shaft being turned. I wish I had one when I was turning long shafts some years ago. Do not try to use this steady as a conventional three point steady, you will certainly come to grief one day if you do so.
    A traveling steady should never be positioned to lead in front of the tool bit. It should be set on the newly turned diameter and follow the tool bit from behind. This is why they have the other name of "Follower Steady". To set the steady up in this manner can be easy or very difficult but this is the better way. It may be possible to wind the top slide across to the left and position the tool in front as needed. The final setup depends on how the individual lathe was designed. Winding the top slide to the left can also place more load on the top slide but it usually works very well indeed.
    The three point traveling steady shown looks like it may have been made to locate behind the tool bit when in use and follow the tool in the correct manner. The ideal position for the follower steady "points" is about 10mm behind the cutting edge of the tool bit but this position is determined by the width of the tool bit. It depends on the job, the rigidity of the lathe and the tool bit itself. If you are using HSS as your tool bit, play around with the degree of side rake of the tool. This can produce amazing results in the finish and the efficiency of the tool bit. Needless to say, you need lots of flowing coolant for best results.

  14. #14
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    Default

    great description kody. did it take you long to type that? it would of taken me ages

  15. #15
    Metmachmad is offline Turning useful pieces of steel into scrap metal.
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ooah View Post
    Hi Metmachmad,

    Do you have any documentation for your Qualos lathe.
    I also own one and would like to share any info with other owners, I have only just temporarily set mine up but have grand plans for a refurb and placing it in my new clean workshop.
    I believe the jpg in the last post shows both the 3 fingered fixed steady and the 2 fingered traveling steady.
    G'day ooah,
    Unfortuneately I don't have any literature on my lathe. I'm slowly (because it is too cold at present in my shed) sorting out my Qualos. It is a great little lathe and I might even be so bold as to suggest that it might even match the Hercus lathes produced around the same time.
    Did yours come with a travelling steady? I'm still looking for a travelling steady for mine.
    I have been setting my lathe up and playing around with it and it has produced some good quality jobs that I have put to it.
    What is the serial no. of your lathe, the number can be found stamped on the top back tail stock end of the bed, mine is 935. Where did you get yours from, do you know the history of it?
    Incidently, do any Hercus devotees reading along here, know when did Hercus changed to the geared headstock?
    Turning useful pieces of steel into scrap metal.

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